Chapter 39: Week of Gloom

Monday morning quickly arrived, forcing Lorelai back into her daily routine.

"Rory, it's 6:50! We only have about 10 minutes until we need to get to leave," Lorelai called from the bottom of the stairs, slipping her heels onto her feet.

Appearing by her side quickly, Rory smiled. "I'm already ready, Mommy."

Looking down at her daughter, she noticed that she was, in fact, almost completely ready. "Okay. I put your headband on the counter in the bathroom. Go put that in your hair and brush it while I finish getting ready."

As Rory scurried off, the silence of the house was filled with a sharp ringing. Realizing that it was the phone, Lorelai walked over and picked it up, wondering who would be calling this early. "Hello?"

"Hello, Lorelai."

Recognizing the voice immediately, she stiffened. "Uh, hi dad…" She spoke carefully, not sure of what else to say.

Clearing his throat, Richard responded confidently, "So, I was calling to apologize for dinner Friday night. I know it's early, but this is the only reasonable time I have open in my schedule."

"It's fine," she reassured hesitantly, "Dad, you don't…"

Knowing where she was headed, he cut her off. "No, Lorelai. I have to. I promised you a civil dinner, and things did not go as planned. I am truly sorry."

Wanting to be angry, but knowing he was not the one she was angry with, Lorelai spoke calmly. "You have nothing to apologize for. You tried to interrupt and stop it… It was all mom."

"I understand your thought process, and I agree that your mother was the instigator, but I should have tried harder to stop the conversation. I don't want you to believe that you are a failure. I'm proud of you, Lorelai."

Standing in shock, Lorelai realized that she heard something she never thought she would her, genuine sorrow and concern from her father. "It's okay Dad," she reassured, "I forgive you." If she hadn't listened hard enough, she wouldn't have noticed the sigh of relief from the other end, and quickly, a smile appeared on her face.

"Okay, well thank you…"

Lorelai could tell he wanted to ask more, but he faltered off into an awkward silence. In her gut, she felt that she needed to say more. "Dad… you should know that you're not the one I am upset with. Just because I am in a bad place with mom right now doesn't mean I feel that way about us too. Our previous agreement still stands. If you're willing to see us without mom… I have a feeling Rory still wants to see you. She really likes being around you."

"I enjoy her company immensely, Lorelai, but I also hate doing things without your mother."

"Well I guess we've got a tough situation on our hands, then…" she added, sadness slightly tinging her voice.

"I guess we do."

Sighing, Lorelai added, "Listen dad… I've got to finish getting ready for work, but you can call me when you decide what you want to do."

"I can do that… Have a good day, Lorelai. Tell Rory I said hello."

Suddenly, it dawned on her that they might not see him for a while. Wanting to make Rory, and her father, happy, Lorelai interjected quickly before he could hang up. "Uh, wait, Dad."

"Yes, Lorelai?"

"Before you go… Did you want to talk to Rory? I have to finish getting ready, but she can chat."

"I would love to." Hearing the sudden happiness in his voice, she smiled.

"Okay. Hold on one second." Turning the phone away from her mouth, Lorelai called out, "Rory! Someone wants to talk to you!"

The sound of little feet stomping down the stairs filled the room, and Rory finally made it to the phone, fully dressed and ready to go. "Who is it?"

"It's your grandpa."

"Really?" With a bright smile, she took the phone from Lorelai and spoke excitedly, "Hi grandpa."

Listening from the top of the stairs, Lorelai could hear Rory chat animatedly with her father. Turning and heading to finish getting ready, she couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face.

Running over to claim her favorite table, Rory climbed into the chair as Lorelai walked over to the counter. Luke, scrubbing hard at the counter, didn't even notice their arrival. As the ringing of the bells finally registered in his head, he looked up to see Lorelai wearing a smile. Dropping the rag, Luke picked up the order pad and spoke gruffly. "What can I get for you?"

"Wow… with that warm of a welcome, I'm surprised this place isn't packed."

Sighing, he looked at her with a frustrated frown. "Lorelai…"

Realizing that he wasn't playing and was genuinely in a bad mood, she reached over the counter for his hand. "Hey… Is everything okay?"

"The toaster broke earlier, and I tried to use the backup toaster, and it isn't working either. If I hear one more complaint from someone because they got a biscuit instead of toast even though I told them I didn't have toast in the first place, I might lose it."

A sympathetic frown appeared on Lorelai's face. "I'm sorry, Luke."

"It's okay… there's nothing you can do about it."

"So, does that mean that French toast isn't an option?"

Looking at her plainly, he answered, "French toast isn't made in a toaster."

"Oh, my mistake," Lorelai countered, grinning mischievously.

Rolling his eyes, Luke placed the order pad back on the counter. "Are you trying to be cute?"

"If I was?"

"Then it's not working."

"Darn," she smiled, snapping her fingers for emphasis. Squeezing his hand, Lorelai added sympathetically, "Really, babe… I'm sorry you're having a bad day. If you could just make some French toast for me and Rory with some coffee and chocolate milk, we'll eat fast and get out of your hair."

Shaking his head, Luke grabbed her mug from the shelf and filled it with coffee. "Don't rush… I don't want my mood to put you out. Give me a few minutes, and I'll bring your food out."

"If you're sure… Why don't you join us?"

Looking around the diner, and seeing that it wasn't outrageously busy, Luke agreed. "I guess I can do that."

Leaning over, she offered him a kiss to which he quickly obliged. Pulling back, she smiled. "Good… it's been a while since we've all had breakfast here."

A few minutes later, Luke returned with their breakfasts and with a plate of his own. Before he could get seated, Rory stood up in her seat and wrapped her little arms as far as they could reach around his torso. "Good morning, Daddy Luke."

Without hesitation, he hugged her back. "Good morning, Rory." Sitting her down in her chair, Luke shot his glance over to Lorelai as he sat down. Seeing her smile, he mouthed, "Thank you."

Taking a sip of his juice, Luke looked back over to Rory and asked, "So, are you ready for school this morning?"

With a mouth already full of toast, she nodded and gave a muffled, "Mhmm." Swallowing quickly, she added, "I get to be the line leader this week! And, I get to feed Winston, he's our hamster in class!"

Smiling at her enthusiasm, Luke answered, "That sounds like fun."

"That's what grandpa said."

"Grandpa?"

Placing her fork down on her plate, Lorelai wiped her mouth and spoke hesitantly. "Uh, yeah. Dad called while we were getting ready this morning.:

"And I got to talk to him for five whole minutes," Rory exclaimed, holding out her hand and showing all five fingers for emphasis.

"Wow… five minutes? That's a long time."

The conversation continued to flow freely as they ate together. A little while later, Lorelai looked down at her watch, shocked by the time she saw. "Oh, Rory! It's 7:24. We've got to get going soon if we want to make it to school on time.

"Okay!" Putting her cup of milk down, Rory was about to put her book bag on when Lorelai stopped her.

"Not so fast, hon. You know the drill. You've gotta get rid of your sticky hands before you go to class. Go wash up."

"Oh yeah." Turning quickly, she scurried off, leaving Luke and Lorelai at the table.

Shifting back to look at him, Lorelai noted the smile on Luke's face. "Someone is in a better mood than when I got here…"

Ducking his head in embarrassment, Luke added a quiet, "Yeah…"

"There's no bad mood that the love and excitement of a five year old can't fix."

"I've figured that out." Taking her hand from across the table, Luke continued, "Thanks for that, by the way. I know that hug didn't come out of nowhere."

"Well, actually, little miss detective noticed that you were in a bad mood, and she asked me if you were sad. I just told her that you were having a bad day and that a hug might be nice."

"It was, thanks… So, your dad called?" He questioned, changing the subject.

Grimacing, Lorelai looked down at her lap. "Yeah… he called to apologize. I told him that I forgive him, but that he isn't the one I am upset with. I also told him that our agreement to see each other every once in a while without mom still stands, but I don't know if he wants to."

Raising his eyebrows, Luke questioned, shock filling his voice. "He doesn't want to see you and Rory?"

"It's not that he doesn't want to see us in general, I think, but it's that he wants mom involved… I mean, I get it. She is his wife. When I went to see them, I brought you along. I just hope that he will do it for Rory. I can live without seeing my parents, but I don't want Rory's life to be like mine was. I want her to have as much family and as many people who love her as possible." A smile spread across her face as she saw Rory scampering back over to the table. "Speaking of…"

Standing between their chairs, Rory showed both of them her hands. "My hands aren't stick anymore, see!"

Taking Rory's hands in hers, Lorelai examined them. "Well, they don't feel sticky, and I don't see any syrup, so I think we're good to go."

Both Luke and Lorelai stood up, and she planted a light kiss on his lips. "Thanks for breakfast. We'll be in for dinner later tonight. I hope your day gets better."

"Me too," he smiled, returning her peck, "I'll see you guys later." Patting Rory on the head, he added, "See you later, Rory."

"Bye Daddy Luke!"

The rest of the week was going to be better… or so they thought. Despite their high hopes, Luke was forced to come face to face with problems. Along with Monday's toaster fiasco, one of the coffee makers quit working on Tuesday, his deliveries were somehow short a few items on Wednesday, and the phone stopped working for most of the day on Thursday… Needless to say, he was completely frustrated by Friday.

Walking into the diner after dropping Rory off at school, Lorelai entered to see Luke wearing the same scowl he'd been wearing since the beginning of the week. Deciding she wanted to help, she walked around the counter and grabbed his hand. "Alright Gumpelstiltskin, drop the rag and come with me."

Instead of chastising her like he normally would, he surrendered and followed her into the storage room. "Why are we in here," he questioned gruffly as soon as she closed the door.

Saying nothing and wrapping her arms around his front, Lorelai pulled Luke to her, forcing him to lean into her embrace.

Still tense against her, he questioned again, "Lorelai… Why are we in here?"

"Relax Luke." Starting to trail her hands up and down his back, she spoke calmly. "I thought you might want a moment of peace before I head to work… How's the morning been so far?"

Giving in and relaxing against her, Luke answered quickly but didn't lose he gruff tone. "So far, fine. But with the way everything has been going this week, that's likely to change."

"I'm sorry you're having such a rough week. I'd take some of the badness if I could to give you a break."

"I know you would." Tightening his grip around her, he continued, "But I'll be fine… It's just one of those weeks."

"I don't like to see you like this… what can I do?"

Planting a kiss to her neck, he finally softened his tone. "Just keep being you."

"I can do that…" Lorelai smiled. Enjoying the feeling of his lips trailing across her neck, she sighed softly. "Mmmm… but can we do something else too?"

Not pulling back, he mumbled against her, "What did you have in mind?"

"Why don't you come over tonight? It's not a school night, so Rory can stay up a little later, and we'll just hang out at the house. We haven't had much of that this week."

Sighing, he pulled back with a frown. "I don't know. With everything that has been happening here, I might need to stay until closing to make sure that nothing else happens."

"Or you could come over and let Caesar call if something happens. You've closed almost every day this week, whether you were scheduled to or not."

Prepared to counter her, Luke began, "Lorelai, I…"

"Luke…" Lorelai cut him off, using the same stern tone he had but immediately softening, "Give yourself a break."

Pushing the heels of his hands onto his eyes, he released a stress filled breath. "I guess I could do that… I've hated not spending time with you and Rory this week."

A sympathetic smile appeared on Lorelai's lips at his admission. "Then there's your reason to come over tonight. Let us make you feel a little bit better."

"Okay. I'll probably be over around 8."

"How about 6," she countered.

"I need to be here for the dinner rush… 7 is my final offer."

"I accept," Lorelai resigned, her smile turning into a naughty smirk. "That's the time I wanted anyway. I knew that whatever time I offered, you'd take the middle time…"

Narrowing his eyes at her, Luke countered, "Maybe I'll just show up at 7:30 then."

Shaking her head, she spoke with a knowing tone. "Nope, sorry Mr. Danes. You already agreed to the terms. You can't go back on your promise now."

"Well according to our favorite five-year-old, a promise requires a pinky swear, and we didn't, Ms. Gilmore." Taking a step back from her, Luke laced his hands behind his back.

Winging her eyebrow at him, Lorelai questioned, "Are you really gonna make me fight you for a pinky swear?"

With a nonchalant shrug, he took another step back. "If you want it, you have to get it."

Taking her stance, Lorelai prepared to chase him. "Alright, but you can't blame me if I knock those pickles, which are insanely close to the edge, off of the shelf when I chase you around this room."

Shooting his glance over to the shelf, Luke scanned it curiously. "What pick…"

Before he could finish, he found himself caught in Lorelai's arms, her face dangerously close to his. Despite the fact that she knew he could easily break free, Lorelai spoke a happy, "Made you look!"

As hard as he tried, Luke couldn't keep the scowl on his face. "You're a cheater."

"All is fair in love and pinky promises, babe." Grabbing his arms and bringing them from behind his back, Lorelai placed them around her waist and pecked his lips. "How about we lock lips instead of fingers." Lifting her arms up to around his neck, she drew him in for a deep kiss.

Taking his fill of her, Luke pulled back breathless.

Lorelai smiled. "So you're coming at 7?"

"I think I might need a little more convincing." Luke smirked, resting his forehead against hers.

"That can be arranged." Bringing his lips back to hers, they continued kissing. Finally pulling back with swollen lips, Lorelai smiled. "How about now?"

Satisfied, Luke nodded. "I'll be there, on your door step, at 7."

"Sounds good to me. Rory and I will have the pizza waiting."

Groaning playfully, Luke grumbled. "Because an artery clogging pie of dead animals, sugar-filled tomato sauce, and cheese is just what I want after a long day at work."

Laughing, Lorelai answered. "Don't worry. We'll order your health pizza too…"

Shaking his head, he sighed. "I'm still bringing salad, though."

"As long as you're the one eating it."

For a few minutes, they just stood there, Luke enjoying the feeling of one of her hands tangling in the curls at the bottom of his cap.

Looking over at her watch, Lorelai sighed. "I wish I could stay here all day, but I have about 10 minutes until I need to leave."

"I'm guessing you want food?" Luke asked as he traced his fingers across the small of her back.

Relishing in his ministrations, a playful look appeared in Lorelai's eyes. Planting another slow kiss on his lips, she spoke. "Well, I was gonna ask for breakfast, but I can get some from Sookie at the inn." Sliding her hands down his torso, she brought them around to his back pockets. "Wanna neck?"

Snorting a laugh, Luke smiled. "Way to be subtle." Before she could respond, he brought his lips hard to hers."

Pulling back with a grin, Lorelai spoke happily. "Well, someone is open to my idea."

"I'd be a fool not to be," he growled back. Quickly, she found herself pushed against the wall and his lips back on hers.

As he moved across her jaw like, she released a content sigh. "I get the feeling this is going to be a very good day."

Adjusting her top as she hopped out of the jeep and into the inn parking lot, Lorelai's mind was still on Luke and his bad week. While trying to figure out their plan for the night, an idea popped into her head. In the lobby, after taking care of a few customers, she picked up the phone, hoping he would be okay with having a few more people over than planned.

After two rings, the call was answered with a bright, "Hello?"

"Hey Maisy, it's Lorelai."

"Well, hello, Lorelai. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if there was any way that you and Buddy could take the night off."

Opening the drawer at the desk she was sitting at, Maisy pulled out the employee schedule for the day. "I think we could pull that off. What's the occasion, honey?"

"Luke's had a pretty rough week, and I thought that a night with family would cheer him up. I was hoping that you guys and Mia could come over tonight to have dinner with us."

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll make sure we're there. What time were you thinking?"

Smiling at Maisy's acceptance, Lorelai answered, "Well, Luke said he would be over at 7, so maybe you and Buddy could be at my house around 6:45 to make sure you're there to surprise him."

"Alright, then we will definitely be there. Did you want us to bring anything?"

"Oh no," Lorelai quickly reassured, "You don't have to do that. I was gonna ask my friend Sookie to help me get some stuff together."

"Nonsense. We've been cooking for Lucas for years, so we know what he likes. Let Buddy and me bring the food over."

"If you want to, that would be great," she conceded, "I want this to be as good of a night for him as possible."

"We've got you covered. You just twist Mia's arm into coming, and we'll show up with ourselves and the food."

"Thank you so much. I'll see you and Buddy tonight."

"It's our pleasure. See you tonight."

Putting the phone back down on the receiver, Lorelai found someone to cover the front desk and headed to Mia's office. Rapping her knuckles on the door frame, she called out, "Knock knock."

Mia looked up from some paperwork in her lap and smiled. "Hello, Lorelai. What can I do for you?"

"Hey Mia." Taking a seat in the chair in front of Mia's desk, Lorelai looked at her hopefully. "I was wondering, do you have any plans tonight?"

Shaking her head, Mia answered, "I don't have anything to do as of now. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Luke has had a pretty awful week, and I thought that surprising him with a "family" dinner of sorts would cheer him up. I already invited Buddy and Maisy, but I was hoping that you would come too, since you've known him just as long and he thinks of you as family just like he does them."

Grinning, Mia nodded happily. "Of course, I'll come… I have to say, this is a very sweet thing for you to do, Lorelai."

Ducking her head in embarrassment, Lorelai's face grew red. "It's the least I can do. He's always here for me when I have a bad day, so I want to be here for him to help with his bad week."

"If it means anything coming from me, I think that what you're doing is just what Lucas needs. What time do I need to be at your house?"

"Maisy and Buddy are coming around 6:45, so you can come around then too."

"Okay, I'll be there… Do I need to bring anything?"

With a laugh, Lorelai answered, "You sound just like Maisy. She already convinced me to let her and Buddy handle the food. You don't have to bring anything."

"Nonsense. I can't show up to a dinner empty handed. How about I bring some dessert?"

"If you want to, that's fine. Thank you, Mia."

After making sure Caesar had everything under control, Luke climbed into the cab of the truck and headed over to Lorelai's. Pulling into the driveway, he noticed what looked like Mia's car and someone else's parked behind the jeep. Trudging up the stairs, he sighed as he found the door unlocked. Calling out, he spoke gruffly, "Lorelai, how many times have I told you that you need to lock this door?"

"I told you he would say that," he heard her say in the living room, followed by a bout of laughter in response. Hearing familiar voices, Luke walked in to see Mia, Buddy, and Maisy on the couch, Rory in Mia's lap, and Lorelai sitting in the chair across from them all.

Stopping just inside the doorframe, he was welcomed.

"Well, hello son," Buddy called, lifting his drink in acknowledgment, "Fancy seeing you here."

A/N: Well, guys... I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry I didn't update last week. It was midterms week, so I didn't have much time to write. Yes... I know this chapter was kind of a "filler chapter", and I know I left it on a mini cliffhanger, but I promise the next chapter will make up for it. I think you're really going to like it!